Surgical needle or the like and suture therefor



. M022, 1934. E. H. LYDEARD- SURGICAL NEEDLE OR THE LIKE AND SUTURETHEREFOR Filed Dec. 15, 1931 Patented May 22, 1934 UNITED STATES PTENTOFFICE SURGICAL NEEDLE OR THE LIKE AND SUTURE THEREFOR Ernest HenryLydeard, Redditch, England 7 Application December 15,1931, SerialNo.58l,249

In Great Britain 12 Claims.

resistance or obstruction to its smooth passage through tissues ormembranes. Although this unitary needle and suture is very successfuland approved by surgeons it is, nevertheless, somewhat expensive as whenonce a needle has been employed it cannot be used again but must bediscarded as there is no means of replacing the old suture by a new one;consequently, a fresh needle with its attached suture has to be employedfor every operation however small. 7

The object of the present invention is to remove the above disadvantageand provide a form of suture and mode of securing such to a needlewhereby sutures can be attached to their needles and removed therefromat will while at the same time providing a junction which offers littleor no resistance or obstruction to its smooth penetrationthrough-tissues or membranes or, in other words, affords sewingfacilities substantially equal to those of eyeless nee attached suture.

The invention consists in providing sutures with eyes adapted to beengaged-or temporarily secured in needle eyes. By suture eyes? is meant,not only holes or apertures extending" .from side to side but isintended to include op- "po'sed sockets or recesses separated from oneanother by a thin web or partition. According to the invention suturesare formed each with an eyed end or an eyed link or ferrulepermanentlyse cured to the suture end and adapted to be engaged ortemporarilyinterlocked in the eye of a self-threading or spring-eyedneedle of known form per se.

The invention comprises an improved mode of securing a suture to aself-threading or springeyed needle, which consists in detachablyengaging the eyed suture end between the spring shoulders of the needleso that the shoulders meet l or close in the eye aperture or recess, incontradistinction to locating the suture in the eye of the needle belowthe spring shoulders.

The invention also consists in various methods of manufacturing sutureeyes or eyed links or ferrules, for fixing to one end of the suture, onthe dles with permanently November 30, 1931 one hand, and detachablysecuring to a selfthreading or spring-eyed needleon'the other.

The links are preferably of metal'but may be of any suitable materialsuch for example as one of the appropriate mouldablecompositions.

The eyes (holes or sockets) "may be circular, rectangular, triangular orany other desired shape. H

In the accompanying drawing:-

Figure .1 is an enlarged front eyed suture link or ferrule according toone form of the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation according to Figure 1 and Figure 3shows-the ferrule illustrated in Figuresl and2 attached to a fragment ofa suture.

Figure dis a diagrammaticenlarged side elevation intended to illustrateone suitable method of forminglinks or ferrules as seen in Figures 1, 2

elevation of. an

Figure 5' is an enlarged side elevation showing a modified form ofconstruction of an eyed suture link or ferrule according to theinvention while I Figures 6 and"? showthe independent parts of the linkor ferrule shown assembled in Figure 5.

Figures '8 and 9 are fragmentary enlargedside elevations illustratingmodified constructions of link or ferrule according to the invention;

Figures 1( and 11 show enlarged perspective views of'self-threading orspring-eyed needles of known form. I Y

Figure 12 shows aferrule or link (with its attached suture) according toFigure 3 detachably secured to a self-threading needle as'shown inFigure 10) according: toa feature of the inven- Figure: 13 is anenlargedfragmentary section illustrating "socket eyes in a link instead of thethrough eye hole. I

Incarrying the'invention intoeifect according to one convenient mode forthe production of eyed links or ferrules for sutures, as illustrated inFigures 1 2 and 3, a suitable length of metal tube 1 ofappropriatediameter and preferably of silver or non-corrosive metaL isfiattenedlsee. Figure 4) at points separated by double the lengthrequired for a link or ferrule. The flat tened portion 2 is bored orstamped to form eyes at two places as indicated by the arrows 3 and isthen severed on the lines 4 and 5, the severance at 4 being a straightout while at 5 the tube may be sheared so as to give each portion arounded or radiused end contour substantially parallel with the outersemicircular portion of the eye hole, as seen in Figure 1.-'

The link or ferrule thus formed comprises a sleeve or tubular socket 1aterminating in a flattened portion having an eye 36: which, as will beseen, is located as close to the rounded end 5a as is consistent withstrength. The flattening process in the region 2 (see Figure 4) is alsoadapted to afford smooth curving shoulders 6 so as to offer noobstruction to the passage through a tissue or membrane in the sewingdirection.

The suture is introduced into the socket 1a and secured by an indentedannulus 7 or by crimping or otherwise deforming the socket in such a wayas to pinch the suture 8 without unduly roughening the surface of thesocket.

In carrying the invention into effect according to another mode,suitable tubes (such as seen in Figure '7) are cut to the requiredlength and tubular or solid pieces (see Figure 6) having a barrelportion lb and a flattened portion 2a are formed with eye holes 3a., Thebarrel portion may be formed with a roughened or serrated area 9 andwith shoulder at 6 as already described in reference to Figure 2. Theunit shown in Figure 6 is introduced into the end of a tube 1a (Figure7) and a junction is made by crimping or clamping pressure or byspinning down the end of the tube as at 10 upon the roughened part 9 ofthe barrel la. The suture is introduced into the open end of the tube10; and crimped or provided with an indented annulus as at 7.

of the tube as at 11 thereon.

" In carrying the invention into effect according to another convenientmode, asplit tubular socket 1b (as seen in Figur'e 9) is formed andclosed upon the suture in any suitable'manner as, for example,substantially according to the mode described in British Letters PatentNo. 288,425 with reference to eyeless nedlesand is also provided with aflattened pieceor extension 20. which is provided with an eye hole 3a.In this form, as

in those previously described, it is preferred to make the tubularportion with a curved shoulder 6 and in this connection it is pointedout that inthevform shown in Figure 1 the shoulder may be. '(if annularform instead of upon each side as shown in Figure 2.

It will be understood that the customary'way of introducing a sutureinto a self-threading or spring-eyed needle (as shown in Figure 10 or11) is to lay the running end of the suture across the V-shaped end 12of the needle and force it between the spring-pressed shoulders 13 intothe eye 14 of the needle. It will be understood that according to thismode, when the needle is threaded .there is a double thickness of sutureor thread at the needle eye in the ordinary way.

The improved suture is attached to the needle, according to theinvention, by introducing the rounded edge of the flattened portion 2a.of the ferrule or eyed link into the V-shaped cavity 12 and pressingdownwards between the spring i shoulders so that the latter snap intothe eye 3a ofthe ferrule, in which position it will be seen that theshoulders meettogether orclose in the seen in Figure 12) and pressingdownwardly upon.

the ferrule so that the upper edge of the aperture 3a acts upon theV-shaped incline of the i,eeo,117

shoulders and allows the eye to slip freely away downwards and bereleased.

In any of the forms of the invention above described instead of makingthe suture or link eyes as throughway apertures or holes they may beformed as shown in Figure 13 in which a pair of opposed or back to backsockets or recesses 3b are stamped or impressed in the link. Thesesockets or recesses are engaged in the needle between the shoulders 13in the same way as the throughway eyes are, with the exception, that theshoulders 13 will not meet but will be separated by and close upon theweb or partition So.

If desired, instead of attaching the sutures to needles in the mannerindicated, a pair of forceps or other instrument may be utilized in theeye of the needle to open the spring shoulders so that the eyed ferruleis introduced or engaged between the shoulders after which the forcepsor instrument is withdrawn.

The outside diameter of the ferrules or links as described above, may bemade less than that of the needle, particularly with regard to thelarger sizes of needle, but ferrules of larger diameters than theneedles may be employed as the sloping shoulders of the ferrule afford alead or smooth entrance in passing through a membrane or tissue.

The sutures employed according to the invention may be of catgut, silk,linen thread, silkworm gut, Japanese gut or the like. Furthermore,silver wire or other metal sutures may be employed in which case the endof a wire'may be clamped in a ferrule of any of the forms abovedescribed or, alternatively, the end of the wire itself may be providedwith an eye hole or sockets as, for example, by flattening the wire atthe end and rounding it, if desired, and piercing or drilling an eyehole or stamping eye sockets or recesses of appropriate diameter, thusforming an integral eyeleted suture. I

The invention may be supplied to the trade theform of eyed sutures orsutures having eyed ferrules or links secured thereto, or eyed ferrulesor wire loops may be supplied alone for attachment bythe surgeon oroperator to sutures as required. For this purpose the sutures areinserted in the tubular sockets of the ferrules which are clamped uponthe suture by the use of a pair of pliers or other appliance which maybe specially formed with a pair of semicircular dies for the purpose, ormay be otherwise provided with dies for crimping or pressing theferrulev on to the suture end. Where a link as shown in Figure 9 isemployed pliers having jaws suitable for closing the lipsof' the slot orslit upon the suture in the ferrule, may be employed.

It is pointed out that self threading needles (see Figures l0and 11)having the shoulders and V,notch proportions as illustrated arerecommended for use in connection with eyed ferrules as shown in theother figures but where needles having other notches and shoulders areto be employed changes in dimensions should be made in the eyed ferruleto suit.

It will be. appreciated that the invention is primarily concerned withsurgical needles but sutures or sewing threads for other purposes (wherethe features of the invention would be advantageous and suitable) may beprovided with eyed links or eyed ends for attaching to spring-eyedneedles according to the invention, if desired.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is: r

1. For a surgical or other needle provided at its eye extremity withspring shoulders, a suture terminating in a flattened portion having aneye therein adapted detachably to be engaged between the springshoulders of the needle.

2. For a self-threading or spring-eyed surgical or other needle, asuture provided with a ferrule having an eye for detachably engaging'theeyed end of the needle.

3. For a surgical or other needle provided at its eye extremity withspring shoulders, a suture to the end of which is fixed a ferruleprovided with a flattened portion enclosing an eye adapted detachably tobe engaged between the spring shoulders of the needle and having acurved shoulder portion adjoining the flattened part.

4. For a surgical or other needle provided at its eye extremity withspring shoulders, a suture the end of which is fixed in a tubularferrule provided With a flattened portion enclosing an eye adapteddetachably to be engaged between the spring shoulders of the needle andhaving a radiused end substantially parallel with the outersemi-circular portion of the eye socket.

5. A ferrule for detachably fastening a suture to a surgical or otherneedle provided at its eye extremity with spring shoulders, comprising atubular part in which the end of the suture is securable and a flattenedpart formed with an eye adapted detachably to be engaged between thespring shoulders of the needle.

6. For detachable engagement with a self threading needle provided withspring shoulders, a suture having a terminal upon the extremity of itsrunning end, said terminal having a hole pierced therein forming an eyefor-detachable engagement between the spring shoulders of the needle.

7. For a self-threading or spring-eyed surgical or other needle, asuture provided with a ferrule having a Wire loop for detachablyengaging the eyed end of the needle.

8. For a surgical or other needle provided at its eye extremity withspring shoulders, a suture having at its end a ferrule comprising atubular portion in which the suture end is fixed and having a separateeyeleted piece secured in the tubular portion, the eye of the piecebeingadapted to be engaged between the spring shoulders of the needle.

9. A ferrule for detachably fastening a suture to a self-threading orspring-eyed surgical or other needle, comprising a part to which asuture is securable and a wire loop adapted detachably to engage theeyed end of the needle.

10. For detachable engagement with a selfthreading needle provided withspring shoulders,

a suture having upon the extremity of its running end a terminal whichis flattened and having sockets formed in each side of the flattenedportion adapted to receive the spring shoulders of the needle. 7

11. A surgical suture device comprising a suture permanently carrying onits end a flattened por- 'tion having a small eye in which is engagedthe ERNEST HENRY LYDEARD.

